A New Fire
by Silent's Screams
Summary: Katniss Everdeen failed on defeating the Capitol, and now is sentenced to death, along with the other Mockingjay rebels. Now, a new girl volunteered to go in the Hunger Games for her limp sister. Will she make it through the hardest Hunger Games yet? Will she be the new Mockingjay?
1. Chapter One: Reaping

**Chapter One **

I take my normal jog, sweat dripping from my white-blonde hair onto my tan face. My cold-silver eyes stare at my house, which is only about fifty meters away. Finally, I reach my house and wipe all the gross, salty sweat that touches the top of my forehead and neck. Quietly, I open the screen door to my house and then the normal door. When I get inside, I look at my father, who watches the "Capitol's Word" on the small boxed TV. I come over to him, looking at the lighted screen with narrowed eyes and a serious face.

"Katniss Everdeen attempts, once again, to overthrow the Capitol headquarters," the news reporter with white hair and blue tattooed skin speaks loudly, his voice almost sarcastic sounding, but not. "Finally, we caught her and put her in the jail cell to be an offering for President Snow. She is trying to escape; therefore, the chances of her doing so is very low, this time. Her Mockingjay friends were caught in the riot and we have thrown them in jail beside her. Now, they are all set up for a harsh punishment, which is most likely death."

"Lots of words," Father tries to smile as he turns off the television. "I don't know what Katniss thinks she is doing. She's going to die, and it is impossible to go and overthrow the Capitol just like that. She thinks it is, but knows nothing. I just wish she'd stop getting us in trouble and face the facts. Katniss is so... how do I say it? Annoying? Yeah, that's a good word." He rolls his eyes and looks at the newspaper, obviously fascinated with the news.

"Maybe she's right," I blurt out, plopping down on the splintery chair beside him. I look around our small house and sigh. "See, the Capitol thinks that they are helping us. They just left us in the dust. I bet you if I made the new rebellion, we'd win. If Katniss didn't have to die so soon, I would have her join! We'd be totally immortal!" I try to give my father a nudge; therefore, he barely pays attention to whatever I say. On the other hand, I notice my mom storming into the room, obviously hearing my words.

"Why would you risk yourself like that?!" she sounds like a crow, with her annoying, loud words that come out almost like a "caw!" from a crow. I roll my eyes and try to take out her lecture. "The Capitol will be immortal for the rest of history! If you wanna fight them, all I can wish you is good luck."

"Mom..." I try to talk; but her lecture goes on and on.

"Oh please! Just hush and listen for once!" Mother chatters. She pins her hair into a bun and sighs, her arms crossed over her chest. "You need to get a wash before the reaping. You are filthy." She turns around, her ragged dress twirling with her swift movement. She storms over to the bathroom and calls out through running water, "Come take a bath!"

Hesitating, I get up and stride to the bathroom, dragging my feet. I plop down on the counter and listen to Mother explain how to use the bath, since our fresh water is very limited in District Seven. Once she is done, she leaves and I take off my clothes. I put my nude body into the bath and feel the ice-cold water touch my skin. For me, it feels very soothing. I drench myself in it, washing my hair and body while doing so. Finally, I turn the water off and get out, fresh, cold water dripping from my body and hair. Slowly, I put on a towel to warm me and I go to the counter, where my reaping outfit sits.

In disappointment, I grab the dull, pale blue dress and slip it on. I grab the flats that are on the floor, since I dropped them earlier, and slide those on. I open the bathroom door and walk to my sisters and I's room to find my district token. I find it on the desk and I put on the golden cross necklace from my grandma. My sister, Avery, comes over and looks at me, eyebrows up. She has blonde hair and misty green eyes. She's very pale for being a District Seven resident; therefore, very pretty without the tan skin.

She asks, "Do you think I will look as pretty as you?" She turns around, her white lace dress ragged and wrinkly. Mine is straight, which is probably one of the main reasons she said that.

"I'm not as pretty, Avery," I give a little snicker and come over to her. "You look fine."

Avery smiles. This is her second reaping, and she doesn't seem bothered at all by it. I look around for my other sister, who has no legs and can't walk. She rides a wheelchair all the time, and this is her first reaping. Honestly, I think it is just plain stupid for the Capitol to let her join the games and be a tribute. I angrily snort as I run into her in the room. Her brunette hair flies in her face and she looks up, gray eyes exposed to the light. Her dress is a blank gray and her short hair is somehow in a bun.

"Hi, Amelia," Annie grins at my shyly and continues to ride passed me.

"Hello, Annie," I give a fake smile, wondering if she knows it is fake. I speak clearly, "Are you ready?"

"Of course not," her face grows grim and she turns around to look at me. She sighs, "Do I look okay?"

"Yeah," I nod. "Why?"

"I want to impress Donovan," Annie smiles shyly, blushing at the sound of her crush's name. "If I get chosen, I want him to look at me and volunteer to be the other tribute to join me." Her voice was jokey, so I laugh.

"You won't get chosen," I grin.

"You're lucky! You're fourteen, and done this many times."

"Oh please. Like I want to!"

We get into a fit of giggles then I hear my mother call us. Annie stays silent and rolls her way out of the hallway. Her eyes are serious; therefore, she is very, very scared. Deep inside them, I spot fear and feel horrible for her. What if she is chosen? Will she have to compete? _Will I let that happen? _I think, shivering at the thought of her sweet, little name being called at the reaping. Her rolling up the alley and making her way on the stage. I shake again and begin to walk out of the door.

Mother calls, "Good luck, girls!"

I wave back at her and continue to walk. One of my friends, Ella, a girl with black hair and blue eyes, rushes up to me. Her eyes are sparkling, as if she does not know what day it is. Her outfit is a royal blue lace dress that brings out her eyes. She grabs my arm and chirps, "Logan just asked me out! I think we might be going somewhere! I really think he likes me!"

"Hey, idiot!" Avery calls from the side of the group of girls. "Do you even know what day it is?"

"The day of your funeral? Awesome! I'll get the dead person ready," Ella threatens, eyes flaring with irritation. She sighs, "Who brought the twirp?"

"Me," I snicker a little. Ella and Avery never get along. Since Ella has a lot of stupidity, it bothers Avery a lot. Every time Ella comes over, Avery screeches and runs into our room angrily, covering her ears. I whisper, "Try to be easy on her, though... She is worried about Annie and me..."

"I would hate to be a kid with siblings," Ella is serious now. "I would have something to worry about at the reaping, other than my friends."

"I won't get chosen," Annie rolls her wheelchair over and shrugs. "It's basically impossible! Even the Capitol lady has a better chance of joining than me!" Even though her look and tone is confident, Annie has a lot of fear under the color of her silver eyes. I feel bad for the limp girl, and put my hands together, twiddling with my fingers awkwardly. Annie looks at me in concern, then continues to roll her chair across the rocky, bumpy road. Behind her, I see a Capitol car honk and not stop their driving.

I shove Annie out of the way and move over for myself. The car continues to drive on by, as if nothing happened. Ella gasps, "How rude! We are people, too!"

Angrily, I roll my eyes and help Annie. We walk to the reaping area and then seat ourselves near the stage, like we are told. I sit down next to Ella, my whole body shaking as I see the Capitol lady stride onto the stage with her huge silver high-heels. She wears a golden, curly-haired wig and has golden eyelashes and silver eyeshadow. Her face is as pale as snow and her yellow blush makes her look even stranger. Her golden and silver bow is obviously heavy on her hair, because her wig is pushed down to the top of her head. She has a silver, large dress that goes to her knees and it has golden trim and sparkles. She reads in her high-pitched tone, "Welcome to the 100th Hunger Games, my friends! Let us quickly watch the National Anthem before we decide on our tributes!"

I cross my arms and flex my shoulders as I watch the Anthem. After the first two seconds, I turn my head back to the oddly dressed lady and narrow my eyes to block out the harsh shimmers that reflect the sun. I blink hard, to block it out. Finally, she turns around once the Anthem is finished and says through the golden microphone, "And I shall choose the female tribute." She sticks her hand in the clear-glass bowl and picks a card. She reads aloud, her sharp golden fingertips scraping across the paper, "Annie Butler!"

Sighing in relief, I end up gasping. I see my sister roll her way out of the crowd and begin to ride down the alley. I screech and call out, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" I shove my way through the Peacekeepers and look at the Capitol lady, also known as Juniper.

Juniper claps her hands and shouts in her mic, "Amazing! Come!" She gestures me to the stage, and I hesitate before stepping on the stairs to the stage. Slowly, I look down at Annie, who gets pushed away from the alleyway and back into the crowd. "Our volunteer! What's your name, deary?"

"Amelia Butler," I look at the crowd and see my family and friends crying quietly.

"I'm guessing that was your sister?" Juniper grabs my shoulder lightly, grinning.

"Yes," I close my eyes and hold back a sob.

"How sweet..." Juniper grins and claps her hands again. "Back to the tribute-deciding!" She clops over to the clear-glass bowl and draws a ragged card out of the pile. She coughs into her hands politely and reads tenderly, "Johnathan Oregon."

A handsome, strong boy that looks about sixteen years old steps onto the stage. He has dark brown hair that touches around his eyebrows and a hazel eyed stare. He shakes hands with me, and my jaw dares to drop open in shock that I am in the Hunger Games. Johnathan whispers to me, "You can call me John if you want." He nudges me slightly, obviously trained for this crap.

"Johnathan and Amelia!" Juniper holds our arms up with glee. "If this is your loved one, come to the Main Building to say your last goodbyes and hugs and kisses. Once that is done, they will leave and represent you."

Ella mouths something to me; therefore, I cannot tell what it is. She repeats this method and I notice. She says, "I am not going. I love you. You were like a sister to me."

Angry with her, I ball my fists as Juniper leads me into the Main Building, which stands tall and above most buildings I've ever seen. I enter my dorm and look around as if I am in a dream. Then, I fall onto the soft, plush bed and sob, crying in a matter of seconds. I clasp my hands over my eyes and hear a knock on the door. In comes my mother, father, and sisters. Annie cries, "Why did you do that for me? I would have made it!" She hugs me and sobs hard. She looks at me in the eyes and croaks, "You have to win. For me."

"For us," Father looks at me, pain in his dark brown eyes. He runs his fingers through his blonde hair and sobs.

"You are amazing, Amelia," Avery kisses me on the forehead and looks at me with soft eyes. "And very pretty. Use that to your advantage."

"I love you, dear," Mother cries, her hands over her mouth in shock. "I know you'll win."

"I will," I promise them, trying to believe. I walk to the window and stare out of it. "I'll win."

I hear the Peacekeeper come in and force them out physically. I hear my mother's faint cries of protest and I close my eyes in anger. Slowly, I ball my fists and wait for the others to come in. Secretly, I hope to see Ella; therefore, what she told me is correct. She isn't going to say goodbye to me. Slowly, I close my eyes and let out a lone tear to comfort my loneliness. I hear Juniper at the door and she calls, "Amelia! Time to get to the Capitol!"


	2. Chapter Two: Chariots

**Chapter Two **

Slowly, I board the train that transports me from District Seven to the Capitol. Once I get in, I keep my eye out the window, watching the citizens of District Seven watch Johnathan and me go on the dangerous journey into the Hunger Games. I keep my mouth shut; therefore, wish to protest to Juniper and the Peacekeeper guards who force us inside the train. When the train begins to move, I almost fall forward, since I am barely paying any attention to the life around me, other than the citizens that watch us.

The train begins to move faster and faster, making the people stay behind us. I wave slowly, shaking inside and out. Johnathan, who is behind me, taps me on the shoulder and asks, "What are you doing?"

I don't reply, but continue to look forward, out of the train.

"There's food here," he goes on. "A lot of it. Mostly really delicious desserts."

Tempted, I turn around and look for the "food" he mentioned to me. I see a large table with white cloth and gold trim, holding tons and tons of desserts, meals, and all types of food I can ask for. I approach the table cautiously, glad to see there are no traps or snares waiting for me. Behind me, I see a girl with dirty blonde hair come into view. She has interesting hazel eyes and really tan skin. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail and she looks at me, a piece of cake in her fingers. She says, holding out her empty hand, "I'm Emily Barkins. Your mentor."

I shake her hand awkwardly and say, "My name's Amelia. Amelia Butler. I volunteered for my sister at the reaping."

"Oh yeah? I saw that," she smiles at me and sits on the couch, eating an apple now. "That was pretty brave of you. This year is going to be the worst ever, since it is the hundredth Hunger Games."

"Really?" Johnathon speaks through a powdered doughnut and sits on the couch. "That's odd."

"Well, don't think they are ever going easy on you," Emily reminds us, pointing her finger. "The Capitol always gets new gadgets and gizmos every year. Also, they want to do something, get this, 'special'. Isn't that dumb? Special? Death is never special, I'll give you that." She looks at John specifically, her eyes tough and serious. She continues to eat her food quickly. Obviously, she has quite an appetite, since she eats faster than the speed of light.

Cautiously, I grab a few pieces of pie and smell it. John snickers at me, saying, "It's not poisonous! They want a show, not a quick death."

"I'd rather die of poison than the games," I shrug, taking a bite of my first pie. I nod my head and lust for more, and begin to chew. I smile at the pie and enjoy it, while lounging on a few of the comfortable chairs.

"See? This is the only part of fun you will get before the Hunger Games," Emily laughs. She points at the scar that runs across the edge of her left eyebrow to the bottom of her lip. Sighing, she explains, "On the last battle of the games, I fight a Career with nobility and honor for my brother, who is back at home. He slings his sword at me, striking me like a claw. I fall back onto the floor and scream. I kick him away and use the sword to kill him. That, my friends, was my final moment of triumph. I won that day, and knew it would save me."

"Wow," John closes his eyes, obviously imagining the scene. "And that's where you got that scar..."

"Exactly," she holds up her lemonade and puts the top of the glass to her lips to drink. She takes a sip and rests her head on the plush chair to rest her neck. Then, she opens her eyes and gasps, "You need to see your rooms! Amelia, go to that room over there." She points to a silver wall, which has a black, square outline around it. Then, she points at another room and leads John to it.

Listening to her blunt directions, I walk to the "door" and find it sliding open at my steps. I enter the room and the lights turn on right as I enter the room. I read a sign that says "CLAP TO TURN LIGHTS ON/OFF". To test it, I clap my hands and the lights turn off. Then, I clap again and the lights turn back on to bring light to the room. I smile and look to the side where a window is. I find a remote on my silver, black, and white bed and click the button on it with an arrow that points forward. The window changes to a forest. I click it again and it shows me the Capitol citizens. I play with it and find myself enjoying it a lot.

I rest my head on the soft, large pillows and sigh in a tired tone. Closing my eyes, I bundle up in the covers and fall asleep.

A knock sounds at the door, and I shoot up from my bed. Juniper enters the room, wearing a shining aqua dress with white designs. She has silver high heels and white curly hair with silver and blue streaks. She has a aqua flower in her bundle of hair. She wears gloves that covers her true color of skin and she has blue tattoos on her bare arms. She prods me out of the room and shows me the window next to John. "We are here!" she chirps happily.

"How long was I asleep?" I yawn, stretching out my arms.

"The rest of the day and you slept in real late," Emily explains, eating a banana as she looks out of the window.

Joining her, I crawl up onto the couch and look out the window. Outside, I see silver buildings that tower above the clouds and sky. A waterfall makes me gasp at the sight of it and I turn to see the silver buildings again. They are much bigger than the Main Building and I nearly faint at the sight of them. I turn my head around and look at Juniper, and she barely seems threatened by their amazing size. Neither does Emily; therefore, John is gasping beside me, so I am glad to see that someone understands my shock.

After we enter a building, it becomes pitch black through the window. A few seconds pass and then light surges into the room. Silver walls enclose on many crazy-looking people who pound on the cage walls, screaming and cheering for our arrival. I whisper to John, "Why are they cheering?"

Juniper answers for him, nearly crying, "They are glad to see you. They love the whole way of the tributes and such. Isn't that wonderful?"

Before I can answer, Emily grabs John and me and murmurs to us, "Right now, I will lead you to your Stylists. They will do some very painful things; however, they are only trying to save your asses. So I insist on listening to them and obeying their every rule and order they give you." She looks at the door that opens to let us out. I hear the screams echo into the train. She sighs, "Here we come, chariots."

Slowly I enter the the building made of glass and come into a room. A lady, who is black with bright orange hair and amber eyes, comes to me with a man with green hair and long eyebrows and another guy with blue hair and purple eyes. The green-haired man has barely any eyes, since they are so small, and he gives me a crooked smile. The lady just stares at me coldly and hands me something to hold on to. She introduces herself neutrally, "I am Androthema. This is Argo and Ronio." Argo giggles and waves, eyes crossed. I worry about him and look back at Androthema. She whispers, "You may call me Andro."

I nod to her, too scared to say anything. Laying down, Andro takes my clothes off and waxes me. Finally, she takes me to a solitary room, with just her and me in it. She closes the door behind her and looks at me strictly. She grabs out a paper bag and says, "Let me put this on you." I stand up all the way and let her put on the outfit. After, Andro comes to me, my golden cross necklace in her hands. She hands it to me and encloses me hands on it, "You must have had a great grandmother." Her eyes stare into mine and I slowly nod, unable to say a word. Carefully, I link it together and drop my hands to my thighs and let Andro do the rest.

About thirty minutes later, Andro twists the spinning chair around and I see myself. My hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, then braided to the bottom of my ponytail. She smiles, her orange and black lips shining, reflecting the dim light. My makeup is soft, which surprises me. All it has is green and brown eyeshadow and long eyelashes. Barely any foundation is on my face and I look at the outfit next. My outfit is made of lumber, and almost looks like a warriors' bronze armor suit; however, it is made of oak freshly from District Seven.

I gasp and feel the soft wood and look at Andro. I blurt out, "I actually look... Beautiful."

"You already were," Andro tells me, spinning the chair from the mirror and into her glimpse. She touches up some things and says, "Shine brighter than any type of jewelry or Capitol outfit." She stands up higher and straightens out her back, pointing out her breasts in pride. "Come," she orders.

I follow her out of the solitary room and go to the wooden chariot. I find myself looking at John, and him looking at me in admiration. Quickly, I stare a the ground and smirk slightly, shuffling my feet. Then, I hear Andro say to a Capitol man, "I think they are ready, Bonzo. We just need to put them up and insist on how their forms should be."

"They should hold hands!" Bonzo claps his hands and grabs John and my hands. He puts them together and holds them up. He chirps, "Just like the Girl of Fire and the Boy with the Bread! How cute!"

"I like it," Emily looks at us both and smiles kindly. "Looks good."

Andro doesn't make an expression, but brings us to the top of the chariot. She whispers to me, "Make me proud of this outfit, dear."

"I will," I boldly straighten my back, actually surprised I said that. I turn around and see Emily giving me the thumbs up. I look forward and feel the chariot begin to stride forward. The bumpy movements of the road drives me crazy and I hold onto the side of the chariot. John grabs my hand and I find myself pushing my fingertips into his palm. I look at him confidently and let go of the side. As we begin to head out of the exit, I hear a ton of cheers and surprised cheers. I look up to the flanks of the chariot and see crowds and crowds of Capitol citizens throwing flowers and such down to the chariot. I find myself enjoying this and blowing kisses to the Capitol people.

This makes them go wild. They all begin to scream and shout, "Amy! Amy!"

I go with the flow, acting like it is my normal name, even though it isn't my name. I scream and shout back to them, "YEAH!"

John does the same, holding our arms high into the sky. Finally, we park to the front of the throne for President Snow. The old man looks over the edge of his ledge and announces to us, "Welcome, brave tributes! Thank you for putting your lives for our personal entertainment! I have an important message to you, though. These games will not be normal. More creatures will be around and you will most likely not just die from a human or normal death. It is most likely the creatures around you." He looks to the side of him and calls out, "Since it is the hundredth Hunger Games, I brought in twenty-four more tributes."

I hear gasps and find myself doing the same. More chariots come from the flank of us. I see Careers in every chariot, just smirking at us with smug faces that I wish to slap in irritation. Snow goes on, "They volunteered! Isn't that grand? Well, more entertainment for the Capitol. Thank you!"

Shocked, I do nothing as the chariot moves in. Emily congratulates us and says to me, "You can do this, Amelia!"

Without another word, I storm passed them and go to my dorm. I slam the door and jump onto the bed angrily. I cry my heart out, holding sides of the pillow angrily. I throw it across the room and hit the silver wall. I slam the mattress angrily and find myself falling asleep after my long fit.


	3. Chapter Three: Training

**Chapter Three **

I wake to a abrupt shake that jolts me awake. Opening my eyes in shock, I see Juniper and Emily shaking me as I try to sleep. Emily looks at me sternly and orders, "Training starts in ten minutes! Get your donkey moving and get out of bed! You've been sleeping all night, I think you're alright!" She pulls me out of bed and nudges me to the closet where my training clothes wait for me. Groaning in irritation, I take the clothes off the rack and go to the bathroom to get into them. After they are on, I come out and see Juniper rushing me with hand gestures.

Irritated, I follow her out of the room and go across the hall, into an elevator, and through another hall. I walk into the training room and find myself being right on time. As soon as I enter the room, the lady begins to speak. I get into formation and listen to her strict words, "I am General Adika, commander of the training area and general of the Peacekeepers." Her black hair is pulled back into a bun, and obviously, she is not a Capitol-born citizen. Her pale skin proves to me that she is most likely born from District Two.

I twitch my eye and try to stand still; therefore, standing still is too hard for me. She goes on, "The Hunger Games is hard enough; however, the hundredth is much harder than you think. We have created more than one army of mutant creatures that kill more than a million of each other a day, if they are not of the same race. We tested them and they are barely possible to escape. So, be prepared for a fully extended killer threat. Also, you might be wondering who the new tributes are." She walks to the side, and opens a door, exposing twenty-four other tributes. She goes through them all and gets to District Seven. I notice a familiar face... Ella! "Ella Stone and Donovan Kyler."

Ella looks at me and then straight forward. I see her fists ball in anxiety and I tilt my head to the side. Behind me, John taps me on the shoulder and murmurs, "Isn't that your best friend?"

"Y-yeah," I stutter, still absolutely shocked. _No wonder she didn't talk to me or say goodbye! She was training to fight me! _I think to myself, cracking my knuckles in anger. _What a friend! NO__T! _Angrily, I look back at the general. She dismisses us and I storm away to the nearest training area that I should work on. I go to the bow and arrow station, shooting them just to get my anger out.

As I shoot the bows, I hit the target right where I want to. My muscles ache and I give myself a quick break. Then, I walk to the fire-starting station and they teach me how to start a fire. Someone behind me walks to my side and I don't dare to look up to see who it is. When my fire is started, the teacher tells me to stomp it out as if someone is coming. Obeying him, I stomp it out and look up to see what his face looks like. He is a tall, slender man with a strange jaw. He has his arms around his back and nods of approval. As I leave, I look back to see the tribute who dared to come near me. It was Ella.

Ignoring her desperate look, I quickly pace across the area to find another survival tip training area. I go to the station where I learn to set snares, and make a ton of snares. Surprisingly, all of the snares work. So, I look to my teacher, who is a short, stubby man and he smiles at me. He says, "You seem to have already mastered the snare-making, hm?"

"No, not really, sir," I tell him, eyes focused on the snare I made.

"Then, what have you done in your past life?" he crosses his arms and looks at me, brows up and eyes widening.

"Running... Hunting with a bow, and no snares," I confess, just because I know I won't live much longer on the Earth or in the Panem. He looks at me, not intimidated or threatened. He cracks his knuckles and turns away. Quickly, he walks over to the general and whispers something in her ear. She looks at me and nods. So, I begin to walk to the next station to avoid her stare. Then, as I stride, I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around to see General Adika smiling at me. She has a scar across her eye and she gives me a smirk. "Yes?" I gulp through my speaking.

"I hear of you," she smiles at me, speaking her foreign voice. She gestures me to walk with her around the training center. Listening, I follow her and hear her words, "I did not know one would confess of their hunting in such a place. Why would you do that?"

"I am going to die anyways," I admit to her, able to speak my mind on certain things.

Her hand finds its way to my neck and she hisses quietly, "I would insist on you keeping things to yourself. Most of the trainers here are willing to tell the Capitol about the things you say. So, what your words. You might die, but your family is still alive." Looking from side to side, Adika looks at me and sneers, "I don't get why you would say such things."

"I-I am sorry... I didn't know," I shrug. _Oh God! What if my family dies? _I think, twiddling with my thumbs. "Why do you care?"

"I am not from the Capitol," she grits her teeth. "I am from District Twelve, and used to be a Mockingjay rebel. Now, I hid and escaped."

"What? Why are you talking to me?"

"I see fire in your eyes."

"And?"

"A rebellion."

When she says this, I freeze and stay still. "Are you saying-"

"Yes! Now hush about yourself and go get some training done!" Adika spits out the last words and turns around. Quickly, she walks to the Gamemaker and I hear her say, "Oh I was explaining what I think her main point is on training."

"She seems strong," the Gamemaker looks at me, his silver eyes curious.

"No... She seems weak! She might be the first one to die," I sense lie in Adika's voice as she tells him so.

No longer listening, I go to the next station to work on survival skills. After that, I hear the speaker speak loudly through the microphones above us, "Training is over. I repeat: training is over." She lists on where the districts go and finally says mine, "District Seven, go to Room 434 and 435. Female and female will be together in one room, 434. Male and male will be together in one room, 435." The speaker goes on about the remaining districts, and I turn my head around and look for something to do before having to find Ella and walk with her.

Before I do, Ella comes to me and sighs, "Hey, Amelia. I didn't know you'd volunteer, so I already volunteered before this... I'm sorry, Amelia. I don't wanna fight you, but I-"

"No," I hush her. "Just shut up. You don't care."

Storming through the corridor, I go into the elevator and close the door before Ella gets in. I ride up to the 400th floor and go to the room we are designated to. Before I get in, I see John and ask, "Can you sleep in here? I am not being with my friend, Ella."

John looks to Don and Don grins, "Of course. I don't wanna be with John! I'd rather be with my girlfriend."

So, John nods with a sigh and enters the room. He whispers, "I'm gonna get a shower. You?"

"Nah," I tell him, getting on my bed gently. "I'm too tired." Most of it is a lie; therefore, I want to sleep to avoid doing anything weird... So, I close my eyes and bundle up in the covers and sheets. My body feels heavy and I fall asleep.


	4. Chapter Four: Scores and Interviews

**Chapter Four **

The three days of training has passed by, and now it is time to get our final test done. I wait next to John, shivering with anxiety to see my scores. Finally, I hear the speaker call my name and I get up. Slowly, I walk to the room and the Gamemaker looks at me with strict eyes. He sighs, "Hello, Butler. Show me what you can do with... Knives." He throws down a brief case and prods me to open it. Once I do, I see a set of knives in the case. Slowly, I look up to see the Gamemaker sitting in his comfortable chair and kneading his fingers together.

I stride to the target and hold the knife in my hand tightly. Breathing in and out, I throw the first knife. The blade strikes the center of the dummy and I smirk in gladness that I made it. The Gamemaker nods, smirking slightly at my work. So, I continue to throw the knives. Only one time did I miss. A few were dumb shots; however, I made most of them in good spots. The Gamemaker smiles sinisterly, "Dismissed, Butler."

Leaving the room, I tingle with anticipation. I get into the elevator and go into the lobby. Juniper clops over to me and chirps, "How did it go?" Emily appears behind her, eyes full of anxiety and curiosity.

"I dunno," I shrug. "The Gamemaker really has a good poker face. It's impossible to figure out what he's thinking."

Once I finish speaking, John enters the room and his arms are crossed. There is a worried expression on his face and he strides to the couch. He puts his knees to his chest and rests his chin on his arms. He sighs, "I think I did horrible. He asked me to shoot a bow and arrow, and I missed the target three out of five times." He moans angrily, muffled by his legs to his mouth.

"At least it won't put a target on your back," Emily says.

"Actually, it kinda does," Juniper stares at her high heels, twiddling her fingers.

After about twenty minutes of talking, we hear the man with the scores speaks. First, he introduces himself, "Hello, all you Capitol's folks! I'm your host, Jurius Flinstun! And welcome to the Score Speaking of the one hundredth Hunger Games! Forty-eight of our tributes have been training for three days straight, and now we give you the scores." He goes through all of the districts and finally says, "District Seven, female A tribute, Ella Stone. Score: 9. District Seven, male A tribute, Donovan Kyler. Score: 8. District Seven, female tribute B, Amelia Butler. Score: 9." The group cheers and I feel the color in my face flush. "District Seven, male tribute B, Johnathon Oregon. Score: 6."

"Dang it," John clenches his fists and angrily gives my a glare.

"What?" I shrug, feeling Emily and Juniper pat me on the back gladly.

"Time for the interviews!" Juniper claps, interrupting John and I's short argument.

* * *

Watching me, Andro looks at my nude body with her large eyes. Then, she gives me a robe to put on over me and she sighs, "I have a brilliant idea. Your district is all about lumber and leaves, so I know exactly what to have you look like." Reaching inside the closet, Androthema pulls out a beautiful green dress. Instead of natural ruffles, the dress is made of real, live leaves. At some parts, twigs are pasted on the dress. As I slip it on, Andro grins at me, her wide, white smile glad to see me in something so wonderful. "Beautiful!" she giggles.

When I sit down, Andro begins to work on my hair and makeup. After all of that, I look into the large mirror in front of me. Shocked, I give a lovely spin and grin at myself. My long hair is curled and my my blush is a pale brown. My eyeshadow is a brown-green and at the ends of my eyelashes, I have little leaf-like things on the tips. I smile at myself and snicker, "Is this really me?"

"Yes," Andro grins again. She grabs my hand and quickly paints my nails. After that, she puts my hands to the side and looks at my full body. Gladness fills her dark eyes and she laughs, "I never thought that I could make you look like this. Someone who is already pretty is hard to make prettier." She walks to my side and links her arm into mine. After turning her face away from me, she brings me out to the line of tributes waiting to be interviewed by Jurius. She grabs my arms and says, "Be honest with yourself, Amy. Don't lie."

"What if they ask me what I think of the Capitol?" I furrow my eyebrows and look to the floor. Andro grabs my chin and gives me a blank look. I try to smile; however, nothing comes from my mouth in any way.

"How do you think you'll survive?" she asks, stepping away. I see her turn and stride away, a sway in her perfect hips.

I turn back around to see John, Ella, and Don in front of me. Blankly, I look away from them and Ella says to me, "You look nice, Amelia."

Ignoring her, I turn around and look at the other tributes. Then, I stare back at the floor and quickly look up and back down to see what the others are wearing. On Ella, she wears a pale green tutu with silver gemstones on it. At the top of her dress, ruffles sprout out, slightly exposing parts of her breasts. Her tutu is short, touching halfway up her thighs. On Don and John, they both wear something simple, of course. Each of them wear a tuxedo with twigs and leaves on the sleeves. Their hair is nicely fixed; therefore, it doesn't look that nice on Don.

When it comes to Ella's turn, I see her step onto the stage on the screen above me. I watch her interview and Jurius asks, "Well, hello, Ella! Or should I say, Miss Sexy!" He gives a loud chuckle and assists her on sitting down. He asks, "From our data, we've noticed how much you have trained for this day. Are you glad you were the one chosen to be in the hundredth Hunger Games?"

"I am," she gives a brilliant grin and puts her hands on her lap. "Though, I am sad to be competing against one of my district friends, Amelia. I love her, but she seems angry with me for joining the Hunger Games. If I knew she was going to be in it, I would not have joined."

"Oh yeah? So friendship is most important," he seriously says. "Will you give your life for her?"

"Of course not!" I am shocked to hear her say. "These are the Games! She's the one who volunteered, so she needs to get what she put herself into. I am going to win these Hunger Games without a doubt!" Putting her arm up, she exposes her muscular arms and grins as the crowd cheers. She laughs, "It would not be a show if I don't kill her! Would you all like that?" The crowd gives loud cheers and I hear Don clap for her while he is next to me. Ella grins at where the cameras are, waving without a doubt in her eyes.

"Are you gonna win?" Jurius smiles.

"Yes."

"Are you going to kill Don?"

"Of course not! I will keep him alive. But if someone kills him, I cannot undo that."

"Oh, so you love and don't love him?" Jurius furrows his brows, obviously confused about her words.

"I love him, of course! But even he understands the consequences and chances of the Hunger Games."

"Oh, well okay then! People of the Capitol, I give you, Ella Stone!" Jurius holds up her arm triumphantly and smiles, yelling through his microphone. Then, he calls in the next tribute, who is Don. After his, I get called in.

As I shake backstage, I hear Jurius give me an entrance, "People of the Capitol, I give you the District Seven female B tribute of the Hundredth Hunger Games, Amelia Butler!" Getting pushed out, I stumble onto the stage and see millions of colors waving in the crowd, a few bright lights beaming for a few seconds even. I narrow my eyes and look around blindly, hearing Jurius gesture me to sit down.

I stride over and sit down, looking around awkwardly. Jurius grabs my hand and asks, "How are you, Amy?"

"Scared out of my skin," I confess, laughs coming from the crowds before me. I grin slightly, frowning after the charming smile I gave to them.

"Ha! I bet you are!" Jurius gives a large, long chuckle. "Alright... Did you hear what Ella said about you? If you did, how did that make you feel? Was it hurtful and scary?"

"It was hurtful for sure," I look at my fingers. "I never expected a best friend to throw me under the bus like that."

"I am sure that was shocking," Jurius pats me on the back and gives a sigh. Then, he grins and turns his head to me. "By the way, Amy, you look stunning tonight. I am super shocked that you are afraid to come out, looking to gorgeous beyond measures! I hope you know you are beautiful."

"I didn't even know it was me when I looked into the mirror," I snicker, the Capitol laughing at my comment. "My Stylist, Androthema, is amazing. I've never seen anything so beautiful. Her makeup work is better than ever and I am just shocked to see her make such beautiful artwork." I look to where she sits and say, "She should stand up. Andro, may you stand up, please?"

"Yes, Andro! Take credit for this beautiful lady!" Jurius looks to where Androthema stands up. She blushes highly and sits back down. Jurius giggles, "I think I want her to be my new Stylist."

"She'd do very well on you, I'm sure," I laugh.

"Yes! Hear it? I'd look good!" he laughs. Then, he stops abruptly and goes on with a heavy sigh, "Now, let's get down to business. We all saw what a moment it was when you volunteered for your paralyzed sister. We all were brought to a moment of sadness, feeling horrible for our decision. However, we were all glad to see bravery shown in your eyes. What does she think of you?"

Slowly, I stare at my feet and say, "Brave."

"That's good, because you are." Triumphantly, he holds my arm up and calls out, "People of the Capitol, I present to you, Amelia Butler!"

The crowd goes crazy, cheering loudly. I give them a faint grin and walk out of the sight of the Capitol people. I stumble down the stairs and meet up with Emily and Juniper. They congratulate me on the "amazing stand" and "awesome honesty" I gave to the Capitol. Juniper giggles, "You are going to be amazing! If you made them happy, your Games will be simple!"

"Thanks," I shrug. After a bit, John comes down the stage, his face red with embarrassment. I ask, "How'd it go?"

"Fine," he shakes his hair with his hand and coughs, "I don't think I did as good as you, to be honest. It was REALLY hard."

"I agree with the "hard" part," I nod, hair itching with anticipation. "I think I made an impression, to be honest."

"Yeah you did!" Emily snickers, taking a bite of a taco. "They will send you a lot of parachutes."

"I guess," I look at my feet and walk back to my dorm. I bundle into my bed, unable to sleep, since the Hunger Games are tomorrow. I finally feel my body give up and I fall asleep without another breath of protest to sleep.


	5. Chapter Five: Beginning of the Games

**Chapter Five **

Juniper and Emily walk the four of us to the hovercraft and give us goodbye hugs. I see Ella's fury in her eyes as she looks at me once it is over. Don doesn't dare touch Emily; therefore, gives Juniper a huge, long hug. On the other hand, John gives hugs to all and stands next to me, breathing heavily with sadness and fear. Once Emily and Juniper give me their hugs, I am forced to go into the hovercraft and sit in a metal, uncomfortable seat. I sit down, closing my eyes, my eyelids heavy with sleep. Then, I feel a Peacekeeper grab my arm and insert something into my skin. I nearly shriek, shocked and in pain. "What is that?" I flinch.

"Your tracker," the Peacekeeper man blankly answers, slamming my hand back on my lap. He moves on to the next person, who is a young tribute from District Four. Then, he goes on to the others around me. I see him insert the tracker into Don, John, and Ella, then finally, the District One tributes. After his quick work, he goes to the front of the hovercraft, most likely where the pilots are. I see him enter a room and not come back. I push my head on the wall behind me and close my eyes once again, hoping nothing will distract me from sleep this time.

The doors of the hovercraft open slowly, revealing a large, platinum building. All of the Peacekeepers come out of the pilot's room and flank each tributes' side. Two male Peacekeepers come to me and stare forward after getting into position. Then, they slowly prod me forward and I enter the building. Above the door I enter once I am in, it says "District female, B". A female Peacekeeper opens the door to my doom and I enter it. The other Peacekeepers lead the way to a green and silver door. They have me enter it, and I obey them blankly. They don't follow me in and the door slams behind me. I look forward, silence interrupting my blank thoughts when I come inside. Then, I hear someone.

Andro comes into my sight, eyes watery with salty tears. She grabs my shoulders and gives me a confident gleam. Then, she pulls me towards her chest and a hug is given to her just for me. I treasure this moment, pressing close to Andro, as if she is my mother. After the long hug, Andro exposes my face to hers and she says, "Quickly. We must get ready for the Hunger Games." She walks to the closet, while I get undressed. Then, she puts on normal hunting clothes that I'd normally where back in my district. She slips on a camouflage jacket and walks me to a nearby pipe. The clear pipe has a pedestal on the bottom and a door opens quickly. Andro gives me one last hug and wishes me good luck.

A lone tear falls from my eye and a sudden thrust comes from the pedestal below me. I begin to rise and Andro disappears from my sight. Now, my vision gets blurry, until I see a wide open field. Around the Cornucopia, I see tons and tons of trees. At first, it looks just like a normal, every day forest. Then, I see something unusual. A giant long-necked beast walks in the forest, its neck and head the only thing I see. I hear a roar in the distance and remember studying these creatures. _Dinosaurs, _I think, clenching my fists.

On the silver Cornucopia, I see the numbers counting down from forty-five. I use this time to look around the Cornucopia and see what is closest and most useful to me. I see two knives and a bright green bag nearest to me, and beside it, a dark red bag. Thinking quickly, I decide to take the bright green bag, since it has knives around it too. I look at the time and I now have thirty seconds. Now, I use this time to think of what I might do. I decide to just run for it, avoid the Careers and others, and run for the forest to what I think might be the safest route. Once I am done thinking of that, I look to the timer and see the number fifteen printed on it in neon red. Quickly, I think of my life and its milestones... Those who I have loved in the past and who still mean a lot to me. I close my eyes and look back to the timer.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Zero.

As fast as I can, I leap and sprint off of the pedestal and to the bright green bag. I stumble over a few sticks and such; therefore, I continue to run. Luckily, I am lean and practice running a lot, so I am mainly ahead of others. My heart thumps as I grab the bags and knives, and I find myself daring to look around me. I see children my age, younger _and _older, getting killed by one another. I pant and put the bag around one of my shoulders. Thinking fast, I begin to run for the forest and I hear someone taunt, "Hello, child!"

For some reason, I turn around to see Ella viciously stalking towards me. A huge, spiked club is grasped in her large hands and she grins evilly at me. I flinch at her bloody face and duck out of the way from her first blow. Almost "dramatically", I fall to the ground and crawl backwards. Ella pounds the grass with her club and picks it up easily. She goes for me again, her muscles tight. I dodge again, part of my leg getting cut slightly. I screech and manage to stand up and run. Again, she strikes, this time, hitting me on the feet. She uses this moment to catch up with me and holds her club up high. As she tries to kill me, I see John flash before my eyes, knocking her over. He pins her down and shouts, "RUN! Run, Amy! I'll take care of her."

Obviously, I do take this moment to run for my dear life. When I get into the forest, I see a red-headed girl from District Eight running right passed me. She hisses when I look over and brings out her bow. She shoots an arrow for my head, and fortunately, I duck at the right moment. Not bothering to ask for an alliance, I throw a knife at her stomach and it hits her. She falls back and blood streams out of her mouth. I grab a few of her useful supplies and run for deeper into the woods. My first kill.

When I feel safe, I use my tree-climbing skills to quickly climb an oak. I latch my hands around the trunk and scoot to the nearest branch. Once I am on the branch, I pull myself higher and higher. Finally, I reach a place where I cannot be seen very easily. I let out a few heavy breaths and open my bag to see the supplies I have. Inside, I see a silver can that marks "Tracker-Jacker Repellant." Right away, I begin to spray the can on my skin and I sigh in relief to know that, that part is clear. Then, I continue to run my hands through the bag. I find a sleeping bag, a sharp rock, a silver pole, and a rope. After scanning the bag once more, I put them all back and go to the supplies I got from the girl I killed.

The supplies are not that big of a deal, since they are only matches, night-vision goggles, and another knife. I slide those into my bag and rest my head on the trunk of the tree. The sun begins to go down and I close my eyes in relief. Then, I open them back up when the cannons sound. After all of them sound, I think, _Eighteen down, thirty more to go._ Above me, the Anthem sounds and I see the faces. All District Three tributes are dead, two from Eight, all from Thirteen, one from Twelve, three from Five, and all from Six.

Slowly, I look down when I hear the bushes shake. Below me, I see Ella, Don, and the tributes from District One and Two. Proudly, they stride through the forest with determined faces. I hear Ella say to Don, "I'm glad that this date means killing a ton of weaklings." Her hand is latched onto his and they skip through the forest loudly, obviously not caring about the other tributes' attention.

"You two are idiots," the District One girl laughs, narrowing her eyes. Her two light brown french-braids touch the tips of her shoulder blades and her blue eyes can be seen everywhere. I remember hearing her name... Her name is Lily Beggins. She is the chosen tribute of District One, not the one who volunteered before the reaping. Lily balances herself on a fallen tree and sighs, "Too bad that District Seven girl couldn't join us. She seemed pretty good, for her lean size." She leaps off of the tree and swiftly lands on the forest floor.

Reto Softly, the boy who volunteered before the reaping, looks at Lily, who is only twelve, with fascination. He gives a crooked smirk and flexes his muscles, "I bet she wasn't as good as you. You are the one who got ten as your score, while she got nine or something like that. You are twelve, and she's about fourteen or sixteen! You've got skill and the brains, while she's clueless about the Hunger Games."

Blushing, Lily giggles. Then, the other District One girl, who was chosen before the reaping, who's name is Katie, gives an ugly sneer. She smooths her two black ponytails and snorts, "You two are more in love than Don and Ella!"

"Not true," the District Two boy laughs. He has perfect dirty brown hair and misty green eyes. He smirks, "You and some other boys are pretty cute."

"I just flirted with them! That's all!" Katie sneers at him and nudges him with her elbow. "See? I'm doing it now, Logan. It's called, fake flirt, you idiot."

Logan smiles a little bit, a smug expression on his face.

When they are out of sight, I begin to breath normally. I tie myself to the tree and close my eyes for some rest. Luckily, I find myself actually dreaming, while I am finally asleep. My breathing comes out casually and I am finally somewhere safer than here.


	6. Chapter Six: Games

**Chapter Six  
**

When I wake up, I hear the leaves whispering in the fake breeze made from the Peacekeepers. I jump when I hear a cannon sound in the distance, echoing through the breeze that swiftly awakens my heavy eyes. I remember that I am in the games, and I sigh in anger, wishing it all was a dream. Slowly, I untie myself from the tree and hear my stomach moan. So, I climb down the tree and walk through the forest. As I walk, I see a big, healthy-looking lizard nearby and I tilt my head to the side as it steadily sits there. Making sure there is nothing around it to kill me, I quickly kill it with my knife. I grab its remains and place it in my backpack where it will be safe and unseen. Also, it might scare someone if they open it.

After taking a tiny piece of meet, I heat it under a giant match I find in my box of matches. Since it has a harsh, blue fire, it heats the piece of meat quickly and all the way through. I eat the piece, glad to feel something plop down in my stomach. I continue my walk through the forest and glance around to make sure that I am alone. When I am tired, I climb up a tree and heat up some more pieces of meat. _This is too easy! I found easy prey and quickly heated it up! Why are these games so easy? They said it was going to be hard!_ I think as I take a big bite of the reptile. After eating, I climb through the trees. Then, I hear something and stop abruptly to see what it is. I stay in my perch, making sure every breath is silent.

The noise I hear is distant, but gets closer and closer. After a few moments, I hear a scream and out comes a boy from District Eleven and another from District Four. They are shouting to each other and then I see giant reptiles on their hindlegs chasing after them. By instinct, I call out, "Up here!" The boy from District Four, who is dark-skinned and has black hair jumps up on a branch. He grasps my hand and I haul him up. After him, I reach down for the other; therefore, the raptors are faster. They grab the orange-haired boy and eat out his guts.

I gasp as flesh, guts, and blood pours out from the helpless body. The raptors stop eating him, hiss back at us, and run away. I hear a sudden cannon and see a hovercraft come down and pick up the dead body, which is basically nothing. The boy beside me pants and says, "Thanks. You really helped me out there. What's your name?" His dark eyes look into mine and I look down quickly.

"Amelia," I try not to stutter and climb to another tree. "I'm pretty sure you wanna kill me, so I'll be on my way."

Before I head anywhere else, the boy leaps beside me and grabs my arm, "Please stay. Obviously, I'm dinosaur bait. I need your help." I look at him blankly and he whispers now, "My name's Ryan. Ryan Horloin. I've already lost two of my allies, including that boy that just died." He looks down at the grass, which is blood-stained and has some leftover guts. He sighs, "The other died from some venomous beasts we ran into. It was a horrible moment, but I had to get used to it, or else." He grabs onto a branch above him and looks at me. "Can you be my ally?"

Managing to do this, I actually laugh, "Hopefully I won't die like your other allies."

"Hopefully," Ryan snickers a little bit and grabs my hand. "Let's get up to the tree up there. We'll set up camp and eat some food. I'll hunt and you get set up and stuff. Got it?" He doesn't wait for an answer and scatters up the tree.

For some reason, I follow him up the tree and run into him by accident. I say, "Sorry! By the way, you don't need to hunt. Earlier, I hunted and found a piece of prey that might be useful." Proudly, I pull out half of the lizard I caught earlier. I pull off the leg, peeling away the skin, and show put it over a lit match. He watches it, slightly peering up to look at me while I concentrate. I try not to blush and give him the leg. Cautiously, he sniffs it and then takes a bite. His eyes widen in shock and he eats it gladly.

"Nice! Tastes great!" he compliments, continuing to eat the leg hungrily. "I felt like I hadn't had food _forever_! So now, I feel much better than before. Thanks, Amelia!" He goes on about how good it tastes and smiles at me, part of the fried lizard leg on his mouth.

Awkwardly, I wipe it away and shrug, "It was bothering me."

He snickers a little and nudges me with his elbow.

This time, I uncontrollably blush at him. I give a crooked smirk and giggle. Then, he climbs down the tree, on a lower branch. He sighs, "I'll keep watch."

From his baggy, shadowy eyes, I can tell that he is tired. Obviously, he hasn't had any sleep yet, so I climb down onto his branch and say boldly, "I'll do it instead. I had good sleep last night and haven't been running as much as you. I'll keep watch and you sleep." He raises an eyebrow, and obviously, he doesn't seem to either believe me or want me to do it. I roll my eyes and groan, "Just get your hindquarters up there. Get some sleep."

Finally listening, Ryan gets back on the branch and ties himself to the tree with his own rope. I do the same; however, to myself instead of him. I sit there, my knives clenched in my sweaty grip. Above me, Ryan slightly snores while he sleeps and I sigh in gladness. _At least he's getting some sleep,_ I think. Then, I look out into the distance and see a fire. _What idiot would start a fire so blindly? It's gonna cause attention!_ By the fire, I see a blonde, curly haired girl warming her hands by the fire. Beside her, a black man stands behind her, and she obviously doesn't notice.

The man holds up a scythe and grabs her mouth. He slits the scythe across her neck and I hear a muffled scream, and after that, a cannon blows. The man puts out the fire and comes our way. I see him through my night-vision goggles and spot his bloody scythe and hand. He smirks while walking across the forest floor. From the looks of it, he looks like someone deadly. He even looks like he can destroy anyone at will. And I mean _anyone_.

Scared, I hold my breath, covering Ryan's mouth tenderly. The eighteen-year-old passes by and I let go of Ryan's, warm mouth. He opens his eyes and yawns, "What is it?"

"Sh," I place my finger over his mouth. "Someone was just passing my. I covered your mouth to silence you."

"Oh... Thanks, Amy," he yawns again, stretching out his long, muscular arms. He falls back asleep, his body moving upwards and downwards in a rhythm.

I climb back down and rest my head on the trunk of the tree. I tie myself to the trunk of the tree and watch where the dark man was walking. I notice giant footprints on the forest floor and raise an eyebrow in wonder. Searching through my memories, I close my eyes to try and remember him. Then, I remember hearing of a District Eleven boy, who is almost like a man. His score was the highest it could be, which is strange for someone like him or anyone else. I shudder as I feel an imaginary scythe cutting through my neck and I shakily look down at my thighs. _How will I die, if I die? And from who, or what?_

Shrugging to make myself feel better, I find myself falling asleep.

* * *

Suddenly, I wake up to a sudden shake. Above me, I see Ryan shaking me awake. He murmurs, "The Careers are here! They set up camp and don't even know that we are right above them! We have to escape while we can!" His eyes are protective and concerned, as he shakes me in fear. I slowly stretch out my arms and peer down from my perch. I see all the Careers on the ground of the forest floor and nearly gasp in shock at the sight of my worst fears, other than the man I saw last night.

Quietly, I go to the end of the branch, which, to my luck, is thick and strong. I see through the leaves Ella. She sleeps almost right on top of Don and doesn't even snore as she sleeps. I have the sudden urge to throw a knife down at her; however, I do not wanna risk being seen or heard by any of the Careers. I don't want Ryan or me to get caught by one of those... those vicious killers.

I gesture my hand to a gray bag that looks like it contains lots of water, which is something Ryan and I need. Slowly, we both proceed down the tree and go to the Careers. I grab the bag and look inside of it. Beside me, Ryan looks around for more supplies near the Careers and grabs a few useful weapons. Then, we both nod to each other and begin to head out of the way. Unfortunately, Ryan steps on a twig that snaps underneath his feet. Lily shuffles in her sleep and grunts. Then, I see Don open his eyes and look right my way. He shouts, "Intruders! Tributes!"

Nodding to Ryan as a gesture to run, we both rush out of the sight of the Careers. We hear bags ruffling behind us and leaves loudly snapping under the Careers' boots. Ryan pants, "If I have to keep running... That will be a bit hard. These Careers aren't giving up without a fight! We might have to either fight them, give up, or find a way to hide."

"Don't worry!" I yell, trying to reassure himself and me. "I can do this!" I look behind me, the Careers easily catching up. Looking up, I see a branch and grab onto it. Ryan is still running and I call to the Careers, "Up here, bubs!" Then, I throw my knife and it hits Logan in the heart. He falls over in shock and begins to slowly die. Half of the Careers stop, while the others go after Ryan. I narrow my eyes and ready my other knife. I dodge a few of Lily's spears and move to the side from Ella's arrows. Out in the distance, I see Ryan pinned by Lily. She viciously cuts open his neck and I hear a cannon blow. "NO!" I shout angrily. I slam my fist on the branch and growl to myself.

"Get over here, you brat!" Ella orders, grasping her spiked club angrily. Her teeth are crooked as she sneers at me. Don is behind her, his sword in his hand. I close my eyes in irritation, prodding myself to never give up. A tear drips down my cheek as I watch the Careers ready their weapons.

Balancing my weight on the tree, I sigh and stay still, waiting for a weapon to strike me anywhere on the body. Then, I hear a screech and open my eyes to see Reeto getting sliced open by a scythe. Behind him, the killer, the black man I saw last night, stands by the dead body. He has a foreign voice as he talks, "No man gets near my camp." He readies his scythe and slings it at Ella. Managing to do so, Ella actually dodges out of the way and slams into a tree.

The man scares them away by chasing them, and I use this time to run across the forest. I hear a cannon and know it is Reeto that died. Fortunately, I reach a safe place and climb an oak tree. I sit on a branch, tears falling down my face like a waterfall. I think of Ryan's kind voice and such, putting my arms and hands over my face. _I hate this! I hate the Hunger Games! _I angrily think, throwing a blade I sat on earlier down into a pond below me. Infuriated, I punch the tree with fury, causing a few leaves to fall on my head and to the ground.

My knuckles are in pain and I cry even more now. After a little bit, I feel a sharp pain on my leg. The wound from Ella's spiked club is getting infected. I feel around the swollen wound and open my jaw, silently screaming. I lean my head on my knee and sob, "This is all over..." Then, after a little bit of sleep, I hear a ring in the night air and see a silver parachute flying down. It lands beside me, exposing a silver box. I open the box to an antidote. I sniff the medicine and apply it on my wound. The wound relaxes and I sigh in relief, snickering a little. I whisper into the air, "Thank you. Thank you." Slowly, I rest my head on the tree trunk and watch the Anthem. Ryan, Reeto, Logan, and two others. Twenty-five more are left to kill.

I slouch on the tree and tie myself to it, unable to really move. I drink the water I stole earlier and eat a piece of my rotting lizard. Then, I let my eyes rest, which concludes to my long sleep for the rest of the night.


	7. Chapter Seven: Games

**Chapter Seven  
**

I hear a cannon sound already, and I stretch out my arms. Remembering yesterday, I sulk and untie myself from the trunk of the tree. I plop down to the ground and begin my journey through the forest. The man with the scythe flashes through my memories and I shudder at the memory of that fact that even the Careers were afraid of him. Out in the distance, I hear a roar and then a giant snap. So, I climb a tree to see what it is. Through the forest tops, I can see a trees nearby shuddering. Then, I see wings a tribute, small girl being carried away. She screams loudly and notice, from her appearance, that she is a District Nine girl. The, what is called a "pterodactyl", flaps its wings higher and higher. It lands in a mountain's cave and I narrow my eyes to see the girl getting ripped to shreds in that cave. A cannon sounds and a hovercraft interrupts the pterodactyl's feast.

Quickly, as the pterodactyl hovers back over the trees, I hide beneath the leaves and climb back down the tree. When I land on the ground, I begin to continue the trek through the forest. I walk over to the fields and find myself looking into the face of the Cornucopia. I see a tribute walking down to the bundle of items and picking from it. Once he does, a flare comes up into the sky and sparks brightly. The tribute screeches and runs back over to the forest. Therefore, before he makes it, a tribute slashes a whip at him and knocks him over. The girl pins him down and viciously kills him. The girl takes the supplies and runs away.

I gasp in shock and see from the other side, the Careers. I hear Ella spit, "Where the-" She sees the boy's body and widens her eyes. The girl tribute that ran away escaped just in time; therefore, the body of the boy breaths shakily. He tries to get up; though, he looks to beaten up to do anything at all. She runs over and picks up the body. She hisses to her Career friends, "It must have been Amelia! I bet you she was waiting here, as if she knew. Then, she killed him, took the supplies, and used him as bait! That daughter of a-" I hear her words; therefore, refuse to ever repeat them in my head. I roll my eyes and hope she'd shut her face and be quiet about me.

Don, who is beside Ella, looks at the boy's body and smirks a little. He pokes him and the boy from District Nine screams. Laughing, Don says, "Wow! District Nine is really havin' it today! Remember that girl that got carried away? She was District Nine, too! However, I'm not sure if a District Nine person died when that cannon sounded this morning... I wish I knew for sure."

"I wish I saw it," Lily kneels down at the face of the boy. She sighs, "He's not gonna die. We have to kill him ourselves." The boy below her screams loudly. She hushes him with a finger and knife to the neck, "Hush. I'm gonna make this death quick."

"No!" the boy backs away. "No, stop! I can be in your alliance! I'm really stealthy and quiet."

"Then wrestle me," Lily growls, steadying her hands to prepare herself for a tackle. Her muscles are flexing and she smirks.

"You wanna kill me."

"He's smart," Don notices, looking at the boy in lust for death. "I think we can keep him. Why not?" He goes to Ella and whispers something that I can barely hear. So, I notice he might be saying that they can kill him later.

Then, the group nods at each other and begins to head out. This time, _in my direction_. So, I begin to think about where I am to go. I decide to go to the side, where they are not headed. Then, since the flare has been already used, I will go and get some needed supplies. For example, I will get more knives, water, and food for the main part.

When the Careers are out of sight, I run out to the Cornucopia. I hide behind the pile of stuff and search for useful items. As I grab a few light items, I feel a hand cover my mouth. I can't breath, so I struggle and kick the body behind me. When I turn around, I see the girl that has the whip. She grins at me evilly and brings out her whip. She slings it, luckily missing when I move out of the way. Ducking, I dive beneath her legs and end up standing behind her. The girl makes a hissing sound and tries to whip me again. I feel a tiny piece of the blade scrape against my arm and I scream slightly. When I fall, I stay there and wait for the girl to come.

The girl dark skin and black hair, along with her beautiful, dark brown eyes. Her lips give a crooked smile and she kneels down to look at me. "Fool," she says, her eyes full of greed to kill. She goes on, chuckling slightly, "Don't ever expect to get out here alive." She punches me in the face and readies her whip. I hear a scream and open my eyes to see John pinning her down. The District Eleven girl falls to the ground, pinned by... by John! I see him grab her neck and hold a knife on it. She screams, "NO!"

I lift my head to see John keeping her down, pulling her black hair, hard.. Whispering, John says, "Fool. Don't ever expect to get out of here alive." Then, he cuts open her neck. The girl falls down, dead now. John stands up, breathing hard.

"Thanks," I awkwardly shuffle my feet and stare at the grassy floor. "I didn't know that you would save me."

"I didn't save you!" he spits. "I'm giving you a quick chance to get out of here!" He grabs out his sword, that is strapped to his back, and nearly kills me with the slash he does. "I never wanted to!" A cannon sounds and the girl is officially dead. John looks around and threatens, "If you don't stay out of my way, I will kill you. So keep out of my sight and just- just I never wanna see you again. GO!" He runs to the other side of the forest, leaving me to go away.

As the hovercraft comes down, I race out of its way. I dive into the forest and watch it hover down to the body. Like an abduction, a light shines down on the dead girl's body and picks her up slowly. Her body levitates off the ground and into an open slot of the hovercraft. The light goes away at the doors close. Then, the hovercraft flies away, up into the air. I watch where it goes and see the direction it ends up going. It stops at a certain area and a bright glow comes from the edges of the arena. It exits quickly, and I scrunch my eyes to see it float away. _Maybe I can escape, _I think to myself, cracking my knuckles.

Without thinking anymore, I begin to head in that direction.

After a while of traveling, I see the almost-invisible wall and stop there. I decide to rest, since the arena sun is beginning to grow dark. So, I sit up in an oak tree and rest my head on the trunk. I tie myself to it and eat a few pieces of bread I had picked up earlier. I watch the Anthem and see that six people have died today. None that I know, other than the few deaths I've seen. Now, I know that we have nineteen more to kill. I rest my head on the trunk and sigh sadly, missing my family. Then, I fall asleep.

* * *

In the morning, I wake up when I hear a sudden breathing on my neck. I feel a drip of some sort of liquid on my shoulder and open my eyes. Slowly and quietly, I look up to see giant jaws above me. I nearly gasp and scream in shock, holding my rope as I untie it. The giant "tyrannosaurus rex" doesn't seem to notice me yet; however, I can tell he is picking up my scent. Quickly, I begin to crawl down the trunk and begin to quietly make my way somewhere else. I step on a crackling leaf and the tree by the t-rex falls. I see the full body of the monster and shriek. Its beady eyes stare down at me and he growls angrily. Then, he takes a large step towards me and roars viciously. Blood and saliva drips from his teeth and I close my ears as he roars again.

Right away, I run for the hills. I go for the direction of the wall, and when I run into the arena wall, an electric shock hits me. I am stunned, so I sit still as the t-rex comes closer and closer to me. When I full control, I dodge out of the way from snapping jaws. I roll under his giant legs and get hit by a huge, thick tail. Falling back, I hit the tree behind him and he turns around to look at me again. Thinking hard on how to escape, I run again and chase towards the direction of the heart in the arena. I run out of the way of snapping jaws, in zigzags to attempt to confuse the huge reptile.

Its giant feet pound the forest floor and I continue to run, my body losing energy at every step. Getting tired, I dread to pull over; however, it is either death or a tiny tired feeling. Finally, I reach the Cornucopia and find myself running into the hands of the Careers. They barely pay any attention to me and move out of the way of the t-rex. Overwhelmed, the giant reptile stops running and looks around at the others. He snaps his jaws down at Ella and Don, them nearly losing their heads as the t-rex did so. The giant monster roars and goes for the other Careers, which Lily isn't apart of. He catches one of the Careers, and rips him to shreds. Then, he goes for the other and eats that one. Two cannons blow as they die.

Ella, Don, Lily, the District Nine boy, and Katie dive out of the way; therefore, Katie gets bit in the leg and falls over. She sits there, panting as blood pours from her leg and she slowly loses her life. Lily doesn't use this free time to help her friend, but get the other Careers to get running. Now, there are only three Careers left. I see Lily's french braids bounce as she moves and I angrily find myself throwing a knife at her head. Lily falls over as the knife digs into her neck and gets up boldly. She uses her last bit of life to come to me, a sword in her hands and knuckles ready.

"Is this knife yours?" she growls, muscles tense. She pulls out the knife, blood dripping from the back of her neck. Her eyes narrow and she throws it at me, making the knife scrape me on the ear a little bit. I feel it split and gasp in pain. The t-rex behind us roars and slams its foot on the ground, running away, as if it is scared or really busy. Lily comes closer to me and pins me down weakly. She spits out blood as she hisses at me, "You expect me to let you live, just cause I am dying! Of course I am getting revenge on the one who killed me!"

Ella, Don, and the District Nine boy watch, unable to move anything with shock. Bravely, I knock Lily off of me and tower over her limp body. I slam my foot on her stomach and she gasps out a ton of air. Then, her body doesn't move anymore and her once beautiful eyes stare dully at the air. The District Nine boy roars like a "lion" and goes to attack me. I hold out my knife and he stops as he sees me. He holds up his hands and backs up back to his allies. Ella gets all of them to run with her, and they scamper into the forest blindly.

Panting, I look down on Lily's limp body. Out in the distance, I hear a cannon sound and a hovercraft hovers over me. I dive out of the way and watch Lily's body get picked up and get taken away. I close my eyes, get up, and start heading my way out of the area. I count the number of cannons I have heard... So far, I have heard four cannons and prepare myself.

Later that day, I decide to rest earlier, since my bones feel heavy after all of that running. I quickly heat up some of the squirrel I had caught yesterday, roasting its leg. I take a bite of the leg and enjoy the taste of roasted squirrel-leg. Then, I eat some more and drink some fresh water. On my ear, I apply some of the anti-infection I got from a parachute two or three days before all of this. Gladly, I apply the anti-tracker-jacker, too. Quickly, I tie myself to the tree and close my eyes. Then, I watch the Anthem and see that _nine _people have died. Most likely, they might have died from that t-rex that was on the loose, and I feel for them. Then, I fall asleep that night.


	8. Chapter Eight: End of the Games

**Chapter Eight **

That night, I dream of fire and a rebellion. The Capitol people are hiding from the Districts, being killed one by one. In that dream, I stand on a rock and order the Districts, protesting against the Capitol. I hold a flag in my hands that is blue, green, white, and red. On the front, it has a dark green leaf that prints as a symbol for whatever protests we were giving. What feels like hours later passes, and I hold up my arm and fist, calling a revolution. Then, I tell everyone, "The rebellion is over! We are triumphantly victorious! We will rebuild a _true _society over the Capitol and remake our lives!" Screams of agreement echo through the burning grounds and I shout as silver parachutes explode above me into wonderful, beautiful, bright colors. "WE HAVE WON!" I scream again.

In the morning, I find myself holding up my fist. I open my eyes and finally realize that it was only a dream. I sigh angrily, untying myself from the trunk of the tree. Sloppily, I leap off the tree and land on my feet perfectly. Slowly, I begin to walk across the forest. In the arena, I hear something. Then, it makes a cough noise and announces, "There is a feast in the Cornucopia. Each bag has something you all need. I would assume that you should start making your way there before the others get to hit. May the odds be ever in your favor." It shuts off and I know it's the Gamemaker.

As I begin to cautiously approach my destination, I hear something. By instinct, I drop down to the ground and hope that whoever is around me does not see me anywhere near them. Out of the bush, I see the dark man walk out, his arms crossed. His muscles are exposed and he looks down on me. He speaks, "Why do you hide, when you may fight? Fighting is the triumphant way out of things. So, why not?"

"It's murder," I try to calmly say, standing up. Slowly, I reach my hand to my back pocket and get ready to fight him if I have to.

He chuckles lowly at me and asks, "Do you really think I'll give up the perfect person to ally with? The perfect strategy to winning this game?"

"Are you saying to want to be allies with me?" I slightly let go of the knife's handle and lift an eyebrow in confusion.

"Maybe so, only if you are okay with accepting," he cracks his knuckles. "We both volunteered for our little, young sisters. Why not try to be the same type of person and win these games?"

"But if we make it all the way, and I end up enjoying you, who will win?"

"That hasn't happened yet, so we never know for sure. Let's go get that feast."

Awkwardly, I nod and say, "My name's Amelia. You can call me Amy, since most people do."

"My name is Elato Binrosean," Elato smirks at me and sharpens his scythe. "Let's go."

Agreeing, I follow him to the Cornucopia and find myself staring at the open fields. Elato gestures his hand to where I see packets of medicine by the Cornucopia. He points at the numbers and mutters, "We should have a plan. I bet you there are others waiting for someone to go out before them. How do you think we should do it?" His eyes look worried; however, I see somewhat a bit of determination in them.

"The Careers seem most threatened by you, so I think you should maybe go," I insist while shrugging my shoulders.

"Yeah, but you're fast," Elato narrows his eyes. "We both will go. I will guard you with my scythe and you get the items. Deal?"

"Deal," I shake his hand and turn to the Cornucopia. "On your go."

"Go!" Elato whispers harshly, running out after me.

As I run across the fields to the medicine, I notice it is oddly quiet out. Trying my best to concentrate, I reach the medicine and grab the two that say "11" and "7". After they are in my hands, I turn around to see Elato looking around the fields. He shrugs at me and gestures me to him. Before I can go anywhere, a string wraps around my neck and pulls me back. I feel winded and cough as it hauls me backwards. Since my neck is crooked, I spot Don pulling me back, determination and murder flaring in his eyes. I notice Elato is gone and think, _He left me! How dare he?!_

Then, I feel the grip loosen and Don is screeching behind me. Twirling, I see Don getting beaten up by Elato. The dark eighteen-year-old pounds on Don with strong muscles, making Don stunned in shock and pain. I watch as Elato slams down the scythe, easily cutting through Don's stomach. The cannon sounds in the distance and I gasp as Elato quickly pulls out the scythe. He hurries me, rushing to the forest, "C'mon, Amy! He basically just called Ella and that other boy! We can't risk them seeing which direction we head in!"

Nodding, I follow him out of the exposure and run into the forest. My neck is soar, since the rope slightly cut it. I look to my left, where Elato follows me, faster than usual. When we get deep into the woods, I brush off some dirt and begin to climb a tree. I lean down and hold out my hand for Elato to grad. I hiss, "Get over here, Elato! I can't waist any longer!"

"Sorry," he shrugs and grabs my hand. I haul him upwards and he lands beside me on the branch. He pants, "That was crazy..."

"Oh yeah?" I slightly snicker in nervousness. Climbing higher, I ask him, "So you volunteered for your sister like me?" My eyes widen as he nods.

"Yes," he sighs. "Elene has cancer, and I could not let her fight. So, I volunteer for her."

"Wow, I didn't expect to hear that," I lift my eyebrows and swing myself to another branch.

"Why not?"

"To be honest, from what I saw you as, was a killer. I thought you were a Career, not a normal, weak tribute."

"Oh. Well, I am no Career. I am a determined tribute." He sits on a branch beside my own and looks to the fake stars. "Elene needs to live and she needs me, since we have no parents. We live in an abandoned home, and before this, the Peacekeepers had no idea about us. Until, we got caught stealing food. Luckily, Elene made up a smart lie and said that we were lost as kids. The stupid Peacekeepers believed us, and gave us a new home. However, we still had to participate in the reaping. So, now, we are put in the reaping and she got chosen, of course. Now, I fight for my survival." As we watch the Anthem as he talks, I notice that only Don, John, and four others died. Now, we are in the final four.

"That's horrible," I look at my knuckles and clench them. "It's almost hard to believe."

"Yeah," he looks at the stars again and chuckles a little. "I can't wait to get back to my girlfriend... And Elene."

Without replying to that, I tie myself to the tree and say, "Goodnight." He wishes me goodnight too, and I fall asleep.

* * *

In the morning, before the sun shines, I hear something loud. A roar of a dinosaur echoes from the heart of the arena, which is the Cornucopia. Then, beside me, I see a rock wall enclosing in. I shout out loud to Elato and he wakes up abruptly. When he sees the wall, he begins to shout and nudges me out of the way of its path. Everywhere, I see a rock wall enclosing down to the heart of the arena. Now, I know that it is time to fight. Fight in the final battle against everyone that dares to threaten my life.

Quickly, I rush out of the way, Elato on my heels. I run into the fields and notice the rock wall stops moving when it gets to the fields. On top of it, the arena almost-invisible guard moves over the rock wall. Then, a dinosaur appears in front of us, roaring its head off. I screech and back up, my shoulder blades touching the rocks behind me. Elato shoves me to the side, as giant jaws snap down near my head. Luckily, he saved me and I am out of the way. I move passed the dinosaur, underneath its legs. By the Cornucopia, Ella and the District Nine boy watch the scene in shock. Ella smirks at me, bringing out her spiked club and stalking towards me. The boy goes for Elato, obviously not knowing how dangerous that tribute is. Ella comes to face me and I bring out my knives and tell her to go away; however, she doesn't listen, of course.

"You really expect me to obey _you_?" she hisses, blood and spit flying out of her crooked mouth. "You killed Don! He was only playing the game. She pins me to the rock wall and I see in the corner of my eye, Elato fighting the District Nine boy. I hear a cannon blow as the dinosaur eats the boy easily. Then, the dinosaur disappears under the ground. Ella growls, "Who needs that boy? Anyways, time for your death."

"No!" Elato shouts, grabbing Ella by the neck. He rips her head around and she falls to the ground. However, she is not dead, nor anywhere close to it. She punches Elato in the face, causing him to back up a little from the power. Ella moves close to him and whacks his head with her club. Blood pours from his neck and Elato screams in pain as the spikes hit his face. He falls to the ground, blood splattering in the grass. Ella causes another blow, making Elato yell as she hits him in the gut. Elato screeches, "STOP! STOP! Elene! Ebony! I love you all!" Then, his face freezes and he dies. A cannon blows in the distance.

In memory of him, I close my eyes and feel a tear fall from my eye. I wipe it away and stare up at Ella with angry eyes. She gives me a nasty look and comes to me. She smirks, "The final battle. Isn't it kinda obvious who wins?"

"Yes," I manage to say, power running through my veins. I stand up and smirk, "It's me." Quickly, I throw my knife at Ella and she attempts to dodge it; however, gets hit in the head. She falls to the ground, weaker now. She pulls it out and comes towards me, limping slightly. I stomp on her foot, elbow her in the head, and grab her neck. I tighten my grip and say, "Get out of my way, you fool! At least I'm trying to live for a reason, and not fame!" Then, I push harder on her pulse and she chokes. Then, a cannon blows.

Backing up, I drop my former friend's body in shame and amazement. _Did- did I just win the Hunger Games?_ I think, too shocked to even move. I look around and see the hovercraft hover above me. I narrow my eyes as the light shines on my face. The announcer declares happily, "I give you, the winner of the 100th Hunger Games, Amelia Butler of District Seven!"

Shocked, I grab onto the ladder that is thrown down to me. I climb up it and look down below as the hovercraft begins to blow. My body is shaking, not cause of the height; therefore, because I won. I get pulled up into the hovercraft and I see all the mentors and Stylists. Emily, Juniper, and Andro come running for me. They outstretch their arms and give me hugs all around. I see John's Stylist watching me with shame and he turns around. I gasp as a medic comes to get me and he helps me with my wounds. I have won the Hunger Games.


End file.
